After Surviving Neglect and a Natural Disaster, Drax Helps Heal a Grieving Family

On Christmas Eve 2024, Lauryn R. tragically lost her Great Dane, Athena, due to a medical emergency. In honor of her beloved dog, Lauryn decided to donate Athena’s Christmas present and sponsor the adoption fees of another dog in her name at Rescue Village in Geauga County, Ohio.

When researching all of the animals online who could be sponsored at Rescue Village, Lauryn came across Drax, another Great Dane.

“Drax had actually already been sponsored by a very generous family who sponsored the adoption of many of the animals in the shelter on Christmas Eve,” explained Lauryn. “I decided that when I went, I’d meet Drax as well.” 

When Lauryn arrived at Rescue Village a few days later, she met a great big gentle giant who was a little nervous to start but quickly warmed up. Once he felt more comfortable, Lauryn noticed just how curious and confident Drax could be.

It wasn’t just Drax’s personality that sold Lauryn, though, it was his story, too.

Beginnings in Union County, Florida

In March 2024, at the request of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the ASPCA assisted with the rescue of approximately 120 dogs and puppies — primarily Great Danes — from a property in Providence, Florida.

Photos from the rescue in Union County, Florida.

The dogs, including Drax, were seized from the property of a breeder after they were observed living in extremely unsanitary conditions. Sadly, many of the dogs were underweight and some had untreated medical conditions.

We relocated all of the dogs to an emergency shelter where they received forensic exams to support the criminal investigation, as well as much-needed medical care and behavioral treatment and enrichment.

Drax following his rescue.

During Drax’s time at the emergency shelter, it was noted that he was struggling with fear. In order to provide him with the proper care, he was transported to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Weaverville, North Carolina, a facility that specializes in providing behavioral rehabilitation for severely fearful dogs. 

Healing in Weaverville, North Carolina

In May 2024, Drax arrived at the BRC and had his first evaluation a few days later.

“From the beginning, we saw that Drax wanted to form relationships with people but was really sensitive to his environment,” explained Anjela Sullenger, senior manager of behavioral rehabilitation at the BRC, who worked closely with Drax. “He initially struggled to walk on leash, found doorways really scary and needed to practice getting in the car.”

Due to his large size, Anjela and her team were concerned that in a moment of panic when walking, Drax might pull down the person at the other end of the leash. In order to prevent this and help Drax with his overall levels of fear, the behavior specialists at the BRC spent time building his confidence walking through thresholds and entering new environments.

“Luckily, he loved food and loved being with people,” recalled Anjela. “We used both of these things to convince him that he could walk to new spaces and hang out with cool people or dogs.”

Additionally, with some work, Drax became an expert at car rides and had no problems taking a trip with Anjela to a local nursery, even walking through automatic doors while out on these adventures.

“Throughout treatment, his silly personality endeared him to the specialists and all the staff,” said Anjela. “He entertained us all with his expressive face and his absolute dedication to his naps in kennel.”

Drax officially graduated from the BRC on August 22, but soon after, it was noticed that he had the beginning stages of bloat. Bloat is a condition where the stomach fills with too much food or air, becoming distended and making the animal uncomfortable and unable to pass food through their digestive tract. If not caught early enough, the stomach can twist on itself, elevating the condition to Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), which can quickly become life-threatening. Thanks to early medical intervention, Drax’s condition did not worsen, and he underwent a surgery that would prevent his stomach from twisting in the future. Once healed from surgery and given a clean bill of health, Drax was finally ready to find a home.

Unfortunately, Drax’s adoption search and time at the BRC soon came to a screeching halt when Hurricane Helene made landfall, devastating many parts of  North Carolina and impacting the BRC’s operations.

The Road to Columbus, Ohio

In the aftermath of  the storm,  our teams worked to urgently relocate all of the dogs from the BRC to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio. We also assisted with the transport of animals from local impacted shelters to our partners in the Northeast amongst other disaster relief efforts.

Having experienced yet another move, Drax arrived at the CRC on October 1, 2024, showing mild signs of fear but was still very friendly with people.

“He loved pets and leaned his whole body into you,” recalled Jenessa Bauman, a behavior specialist at the CRC. “When you approached his kennel, he excitedly did tippy taps with his feet while displaying a sweeping tail wag.”

Knowing what great improvements Drax had made at the BRC and his love of going on adventures, Jenessa and her team took Drax to several parks and some trips to Lowes.

“On these offsites, he had the chance to become more familiar with different environments and all that came with them: different smells, sounds and people,” explained Jenessa. “He remained friendly with everyone he met, both familiar and unfamiliar!”

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Drax to become available for adoption again. In an effort to find him a home quickly, our Centralized Placement team secured Drax a spot at Rescue Village, not far from the CRC.

Drax arrived at Rescue Village on December 13, and it was only a couple of weeks until Lauryn came across his profile.

Left, Lauryn and Drax outside. Right, Drax heading home.

After hearing about Drax’s extensive history, learning about his medical journey and that his adoption was sponsored on the night of Athena’s passing, Lauryn believed all signs were pointing to Drax being the dog for her. She adopted him that same day.

A Home to Call His Own

When he got to his new home, Drax made himself comfortable immediately.

“Having Drax settle into our home was almost like he’s always been here, like he was made for our family,” said Lauryn.

Lauryn introduced Drax to her dog, Snoopy, and her other Great Dane, Spanner, as well as her cats, Niff and Binx. Drax and Snoopy became the best of friends the moment they laid eyes on each other. Spanner and Drax, on the other hand, took about a week or so to adjust to living together, but have since bonded very well. The two love to play, and with about one acre of land in the backyard, they love racing each other from one end of the yard to the porch.

Photo left: Spanner, left, Drax, center, and Snoopy, right, sharing the bed. Photo right: Drax and Spanner outside on the deck.

As a very food-motivated dog, Drax learned the words “breakfast” and “dinner” at his new home very quickly. He would never miss a meal — or even let you be late serving it!

Having originally come from Florida, getting used to the snow in Ohio has been new for Drax. The first two weeks, he hated it.

“It is not easy having to force a 100-pound dog to go potty outside in the wintertime,” laughed Lauryn. “Luckily he learned from Spanner that it isn’t so bad after all!”

Drax has since come to not only love to run in it but eat it too.

Having now lived in his home for nearly a year, Drax has let his true colors shine.

“Drax is the happiest morning dog around, is very happy go lucky and just loves to be around you,” Lauryn told us. “He also hates to see a blanket on the couch and loves to throw and shake them around. I have since given him his own blanket and he took to it right away!”

Sparking Joy

Having adopted Drax right after the passing of Athena, his presence in the home has sparked joy and liveliness.

“Drax has changed our lives for the better and brings out the life in everyone in the house,” said Lauryn. “He has helped Spanner get over the grief of losing Athena and being alone while Snoopy is at the sitters. He has also helped the cats with their grief since they used to snuggle with Athena, and they now snuggle with Drax.”

Lauryn is thrilled to have another smiling face and wagging tail greet her at the door when she comes home.

While Drax can still be nervous at times, he’s gaining confidence each and every day.

“Drax has shown me that no matter what you have gone through or where you have been, you can still find and share happiness and joy with the world,” said Lauryn. “I wouldn’t trade this big goofy goober for anything!”

Want to Help Animals Like Drax? Join The Rescue Effect!

Animal shelters across the country are full and events like natural disasters or emergencies can put even more stress on animal welfare organizations. Dogs and cats of all ages, personalities and sizes (even those as big as Drax), are in need loving homes.

When you adopt an animal like Lauryn did, you’re freeing up space and resources for the shelter or rescue to give more animals a chance. It’s a ripple: When we help one, we help many — that’s The Rescue Effect. Join The Rescue Effect by adopting today.